Divine Consciousness: The Secret Story of James the Brother of Jesus, St. Paul and the Early Christian Church

In this somewhat ridiculous work, regression therapist Kumarasingham (From the Heart Press) recounts therapy sessions with clients to examine theological points of contention between the Jewish-Christian Church of James and the Gentile Church of Paul during early Christianity. He begins by laying out the historical context of these debates using a mix of Gnosticism, textual criticism, New Age meanderings, and Holy Grail lore. While the book gets off to a promising start, readers will be disappointed to discover that Kumarasingham’s arguments are supported only by regression therapy sessions with clients who have experienced visions of the lives of Paul and James. During therapy sessions, “regressee” Greg channels the experiences of Paul at Jesus’s Crucifixion, while regressee Mia assumes the role of James. Provided are bland descriptions of the regressed Paul (“wearing sandals and a white robe made of coarse material”) and revelations along the lines of “Jesus’ father was not a poor carpenter as is popularly believed.” The author also makes the outlandish claim that James, Jesus’s brother, “and Joseph of Arimathea, are indeed one and the same.” This one’s strictly for those who believe in regression therapy. (Oct.)